Itchen Valley Country Park — Attraction in Eastleigh

I've been bringing my little one here since she was able to walk. There's 2 different play parks, one aimed at smaller children near the main cafe and one aimed at slightly larger ones near to the go ape. a small play trail through the woods is conveniently placed around the car parking areas. This was great when her little legs could only last out for so long, it meant we could get out, spend a bit of time on the play trail and finish in the little park whilst I got myself a nice coffee. There is also a massive open space which is perfect for family picnics and gatherings. Of course there are also walks through the woods that you can follow, although perhaps not recommended if you are taking a pushchair with you, especially in the wetter months as the paths are quite natural. You should be able to take a pushchair around the play trail though if it's needed. This is a great afternoon out for the little ones and has a few things on offer for the older ones too. My daughter is now 4 and about to start school and I am going to miss our afternoons at Itchen Valley but as we live close by I'm not ruling out little after school visits to use up a bit of energy! Before covid we also used to attend the forest school mornings, these are great and have activities such as bug collecting, making things out of stuff they find in the woods and also there's usually a camp fire which they all love! I would definately recommend these for anyone wanting to do something a little different with their preschooler. They also run different educational activities through the year and they are not overly expensive so we'll worth checking these out. Parking is not cheap but not overly expensive either, as regular visitors we have a season pass which has worked out well and saved us quite a bit. Also means that on a tight budget, all I need to do is pack a sandwich or some snacks and we don't need to worry about any expense (except once a year when the renewal comes along). All in all a great place to visit. I would thoroughly recommend it especially to those with younger children who need to burn up...

Please note, this is a specific review on the bookable dog enclosure, not the park itself.

We booked a 45min session in the enclosure. There are a number allocated every day, approx 10 and at £8 for 45mins that means if all slots are booked they're making £80 a day. Given that turnover I was expecting something fairly decent with god space to run around in.

The enclosure is a small patch of woodland, it's very well enclosed but there is no real free running space. It's got 3-4 paths, one tunnel, one area to encourage dogs to attempt different height jumps by putting sticks on the various notches and one area of zig zag poles to encourage them to zig zag through them. There is one bench in the middle of the area. If you were to walk the entire area it would take about 4 minutes.

Admittedly if I'd looked on the Facebook page I could have learnt more but I'd assumed we were heading into a fairly large semi open space and this simply wasn't the case. With parking (for under an hour) at £2 this was the most expensive short walk we've ever been on. I would not recommend the enclosure if you're looking for something more interactive. We don't have a big dog (he's a dachshund!) and he was over it pretty quickly. I'd imagine any dog would be bored within 10mins. We also saw at least one large pile of poo that a previous guest had left.

One thing I will say in it's favour is the email information you receive beforehand is helpful, comprehensive and informative. But I'd go to the shared dog agility areas at the Queen Elizabeth country park before I go to...

Itchen valley - dog walking review.

Drive down to the main car park and turn right. The main dog walking fields are beyond to the east.

Large and open, these are excellent for all concerned. There’s no where for your woofs to get lost as it’s all fenced in. They don’t mow the centre so it gets a bit wild during the summer. It’s a perfect breeding ground for ticks, so do check your dogs during the warmer months… and yourself. During the summer there’s a photographer who takes a lot of parents-and-baby photos amongst the long grass here during golden hour in the evenings.. I do wonder how many have gone home with these little insects latching on..

During winter tho it’s an ideal place when the suns out to get some vitamin D. One word of warning is that it gets super muddy. Like mad muddy. It’s really slippery under foot and is wellies only. The squelchy clay subsoil is impossible to escape in Hampshire and it’s in full effect here. Expect to hose off your dogs and yourself when you get home, and probably your car too, if you’ve driven here.

Still , a great location. Use Ringo to pay for parking. It’s open from 6:30 thru to dusk and maybe even earlier during BST (05:30?) gettting here early-doors Ona summers day, before it gets silly-hot, no one...